


Duck, Duck, Date

by charmandhex



Series: Dungeons, Dragons, and Degrees [3]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Carey wants to ask out Killian, F/F, Feeding ducks is a great date activity right, It is when your strong orc lady loves ducks, Magnus and Lup help, More college AU, Rated T for swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-08 16:09:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15246954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmandhex/pseuds/charmandhex
Summary: Carey wants to ask Killian out. It's going to take two of the best wingpeople ever, a tiny bit of thieving, and lots of ducks.





	Duck, Duck, Date

            Carey Fangbattle is an accomplished gymnast, an amazing rogue, and an all-around badass. Her flips and tricks could easily have inspired the old elf lullaby. It’s rumored that she could get from the northernmost part of campus to the southernmost in under fifteen minutes without once touching the ground. Point is, Carey Fangbattle does not fall. And yet that’s exactly what she’s done. Just, not that way. “Magnuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuus.” Carey whines in the middle of their gymnastics PE class, the Dragonborn flopping down face first onto the mat next to Magnus, who has once again fallen after attempting a cartwheel. It’d help if he didn’t insist on starting with one-handed ones to show off, but this is Magnus Burnsides we’re talking about.

            “Careeeeeeeeeeeeey.” Magnus responds, pushing himself up to sitting and unfazed by what is assuredly at least his 19th fall of the day. “What, did you mess up one of your triple flip back-spring pike front-spring tuck diagonal-spring vault things?”

            “That’s not a real thing. But even if it was, I would never mess it up. What kind of amateur do you take me for?” Carey mumbles into the floor. “Magnus, I’m being a useless lesbian.”

            Even though she can’t see it, Carey knows that Magnus’s eyes have moved over to Killian, handily doing handstands halfway across the gym.

            “You’re not useless.”

            “But I am a lesbian. And _really_ gay for Killian.” Carey emphasizes. She should probably move sometime in the near future. The floor doesn’t smell that great.

            “You know… you could just… tell her.” She doesn’t have to see Magnus to know what his face looks like now or the way he’s talking with his hands. They are best friends after all. She’s debating how to respond when someone else approaches.

            “I need a break. Who’s telling who what?” Lup sits down with a resounding thud next to the pair, impact into the mats and springs below causing Carey to bounce a little.

            “Don’t tell her.” Carey warns. “She’s even worse than me.”

            “I’m worse than Carey… at what?” Lup asks.

            “You’re right. She’s worse.” Magnus agrees. And avoids the question.

            “At what?” Lup insists, smacking a hand into the mat.

            Carey finally rolls over and sits up. “Killian is over there being all gorgeous and strong and sexy, and I’m over here being the plane’s most useless lesbian.” She says plaintively while Magnus nods sympathetically.

            “So I’m worse at being a useless lesbian or being gorgeous and strong and sexy? Because I will object to one of those things.”

            “Eh… the telling someone that you’re madly in love with them.” Magnus says, half braced for Lup’s reaction half fully intending to give a hard poke to that particular hornets’ nest.

            “Oh.” Lup’s ears twitch, and her face remains neutral. Looks like the ever-growing cash pool for the notorious Blupjeans bet as to when they start dating is going to go unclaimed a while longer. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, Maggie. Anyway, what we _are_ talking about, is Carey and her Faerun-sized crush on Killian.”

            “You know Killian likes you back, right? This isn’t some high school AU, lizard girl. It’s just. Talking. You. Can. Do. That.” Magnus emphasizes, gently shaking her shoulder with each word.

            “Don’t call me that, _human boy_. And I know! Like, I do fine when it’s normal conversation like school or work or gymnastics but then I open my mouth to say, ‘hey, you’re beautiful and I’m super gay for you,’ and _nothing comes out._ Actually, wait, it gets worse, one time lighting came out and I singed her eyebrows. Burned hair smells really bad, guys.”

            Lup barks out a laugh. “Don’t worry; that shit happens.”

            “Around you it does.” Carey and Magnus say at the same time, letting out a laugh of their own, to which Lup shrugs, unashamed.

            “The _point_ is, just go up and talk to her. That’s what I did with Julia.” Magnus says encouragingly while Carey watches Killian, now attempting a front hand spring. She’s doing better than Magnus.

            “Magnuuuuuuuuuuus. You met because you fell on your ass and started dating like two seconds later. And I agreed to help you with quote, ‘the cool parkour rogue shit,’ that I do, so you gotta help me. That is not helpfulllllllllllllllll.”

            “Coffee?” Magnus suggests.

            Carey lets out a snort. “Boring. Carey Fangbattle does not do boring.”

            “Study date?” Lup starts in as well.

            “We study together all the time. It’s hardly romantic, and I don’t know how to turn that into an actual _date_.”

            “What about that pottery place at the student union?” Magnus tries.

            “Who in their right mind would go there for a _first date_?”

            “Break into one of the labs or something?” Lup jumps outside the box, and Carey suspects that one might be Lup’s personal experience. As fun as it might be, probably not Killian’s style. Carey shakes her head.

            “Go… invite her to walk around the lake. Weather’s finally getting decent, and you can see the ducks.” Magnus feels like he’s starting to run out of ideas that don’t involve hot air balloons, piles of puppies, and other things that they don’t have access to.

            To Magnus and Lup’s surprise, Carey doesn’t immediately shoot it down. “How do _you_ know that Killian likes ducks?”

            “Carey, sweetheart. That shit kinda sticks when you hear it repeatedly, and you’ve said it… more than a few times.” Lup says.

            “Well, it’s fucking adorable, is what it is.” Carey grumbles. It _is_ cute how excited Killian gets over ducks. Everything Killian does is cute. “But it kinda is a good idea… maybe I could…”

            “And her birthday is coming up-” Magnus starts.

            “-April 12th,” Carey nods, interrupting.

            “Right, and-”

            “-I want to get her something, but I have no idea what.”

            “Right, and-”

            Carey is suddenly struck with inspiration. “-Magnus, could you help me? Like, you’re good at carving, could you help me carve her a duck?”

            Magnus closes his mouth on the offer that he’s been trying to extend and grins. “Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?”

 

* * *

 

            Carey asks. Killian says yes. Carey promptly panics.

            When the day of the date comes, Carey is pretty sure that she’s switched every piece of her outfit half a dozen times, save for the half of the “Best Friends” necklace that Magnus had given to her for the past, very eventful Candlenights. She texted Magnus half a dozen times about outfits, but as good a wingman as he is, he’s hopeless with clothing. Lup and Taako had been considerably more help.

            Eventually though, after a good deal of agonizing, Carey deems herself ready and goes to meet Killian. Carey is pretty sure that, as a Dragonborn, her heart rate is supposed to be slower than most mammal-type life. Yet when she sees Killian, waiting for her just outside the building, tusked mouth smiling widely and hair scattered with a few stray petals that have fallen from the tree above, matching her floral top, well, Carey’s heart is absolutely _racing_.

            “H-hey, Killian.” She stammers, and _fuck_ , she is supposed to be the cool, smooth sibling, all awkwardness and parental disappointment falling squarely on her brother. “You look, you look great.”

            Killian looks down at herself, seemingly almost doubting Carey’s sincerity for a moment, and _fuck again_ , that wasn’t Carey’s intent at all. But she looks up, grin only growing wider. “Thanks! You look beautiful, Carey.” If Dragonborns can blush at all, Carey most assuredly is.

            She clears her throat. “So, uh, you wanna head toward the lake?” Carey pulls a plastic bag full of grapes, all carefully sliced in half, out of one jacket pocket and holds it up. She doesn’t take out the item in her other jacket pocket. “I remembered that you said that these were a lot better for ducks than white bread, so I stole some from the dining hall with Taako.”

            “That sounds, that sounds great.” As it has so many times before, Killian’s smile makes Carey’s stomach flip. They walk toward the lake, and the conversation gets easier. It’s Killian after all, and Carey’s had likely thousands of conversations with her before, all easy and engaging, never once running out of things to talk about. Only difference is, this is a real actual date, but the more time passes, the less of a difference it seems.

            Killian stumbles the smallest bit on a few loose stones at the bottom of the slope down to the path around the lake, and Carey immediately reaches out her free hand to Killian, who takes it just as quickly. And doesn’t let go. Neither of them do. They start walking, and still neither lets go. Carey spares a moment to wonder if Killian is also remembering the campus lore, that if you walk around the lake holding your partner’s hand, you’re sure to get engaged.

            They talk about anything and everything, talk about classes and exams (complaining about all of the uninteresting prerequisite courses to do anything fun is a favorite point) and laugh over dining hall work incidents (Carey had recently deftly made the tallest soft serve ice cream cone in an against the rules after work competition; everyone had mourned its demise at the hands of Jenkins). The sun is warm on a bright spring day, and gravel, not snow or slush, crunches beneath their feet. The ducks quack and wiggle their tail feathers eagerly at the promise of food, which causes Killian’s nose to scrunch up cutely as she laughs. Which causes Carey to unabashedly stare.

            By the time they’ve reached where they started, the bag of grapes is empty, and Carey’s other jacket pocket is still full. Now that they’ve reached the end, she finally lets go of Killian’s hand. “So, I uh, wanted to give you something. For your birthday. It’s a little early, and to be honest, it’s not that great, even with Magnus’s help, and-” And Killian is watching her, head tilted, a little bemused, and it’s cute as anything, and Carey calms down, slowing her nervous speech. “And happy birthday, Killian.” Carey pulls out a small, slightly misshapen wooden duck with a bright blue bow tied around its neck. It’s her second attempt, but the first ended up looking like it had two butts and no head, rather than a duck with the correct number of both.

            “Carey… it’s… _I love it._ ” Killian looks up from the duck and down to meet Carey’s eyes, her own shining brightly. “Thanks so much.” Her arms wrap around Carey as Killian lifts her into a tight hug. Killian gives _great_ hugs, Carey thinks as she wraps her own arms, not quite reaching all the way, around Killian in return. Killian half sets Carey down, half still hangs onto her. Carey compromises, standing on her toes. “Uh, can I? Can we? Can-” Luckily for Killian, Carey knows what she’s asking, having been trying to formulate the same question herself.

            Kissing Killian isn’t quite what she thought it’d be. It’s better. Carey doesn’t fall in gymnastics or parkour or her cool rogue shit. She does, however, fall in love.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there!
> 
> Yay more impulse writing. This is spring of most of IPRE squad's sophomore year (so between the two other fics in the series I've got right now).
> 
> You can bother me to write chapter 5 (or whatever else I'm working on) at [charmandhex](https://charmandhex.tumblr.com).


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